Soccer is not just a game about one ball and two goalposts, but a lot more. It’s a game that needs concentration, physical fatigue, impromptu reaction, observation, presence of mind, and time management. Despite there being so many objective measurements to assess soccer players, at the end of the day, a fan’s personal taste is the deciding factor in a player’s legacy.
This is why the world can never settle on one name as the best soccer player of their time. The debates would go on endlessly about who is the best soccer player the world has witnessed so far. So, we have curated a list instead! Here are the 10 best soccer players of all time, based on their achievements and legacy. Keep reading for the full list…
Diego Maradona
This list would begin with Diego Maradona, an Argentine professional football player. He’s appreciated the most because he did something that nobody still did. He was the reason behind the victory of the below-average football team Argentina to win the World Cup. He also won the FIFA Player of 20th Century Award jointly with Pele. Maradona also held the world record for the highest transfer fee twice. In 1982, he transferred the first world record transfer fees to Barcelona. €5 million and the second one in 1984 to Napoli for €6.9 million.
Lionel Messi
One of the most renowned social players these days is Lionel Messi, who is again from Argentina and plays football professionally. He plays forward for League One club Paris St, German, and is captain of the Argentina national team. Also has bagged a record of six Ballon d’Or Awards. Most of Messi’s career has been dedicated to playing for Barcelona. Where he had won a club record of 35 trophies, he also made Barcelona proud for having the most goals ever by a player in a single club.
Pele
Pele was a former Brazilian professional football player in the forward position. He is often regarded as the greatest by FIFA itself and one of ‘the greatest’ players of all time. His track record says that he scored 1279 goals in around one 1360 games. Pele was one of the joint winners of FIFA Player of Century, and he was nominated by the International Federation of Football and Statistics. To date, he is the all-time leading goal source for Brazil, with 77 goals in 92 games.
Cristiano Ronaldo
A Portuguese professional football player has been playing at the forward position for a Serie A club. Juventus and captain the National Portugal national team. Additionally, he has an immense female fan following, along with the people who are actually in love with the game. Ronaldo has been the recipient of the Ballon d’Or Awards 5 times, tying with Messi. With 134 goals, he has a record of maximum goals with him and assists 42 goals in Champions League, and the most goals in European Championship, and the number is 14. Currently, he’s playing for Ali die for most international 109 goals. Cristiano Ronaldo is also known as the fastest player to score 200 goals in La Liga. He also holds a record of scoring more than 50 goals in a season, and that took consecutively for almost six years.
Zinedine Zidane
A former French footballer, Zidane played in the attacking Middlefield midfielder’s position. He is known for the skill of controlling the ball, passing, and executing it with a top-notch goal. He’s also known for his top-notch version of passing the ball and elegance while playing. A vast list of him winning individual accolades during his career, his Alpha Award word player in the year 1998,2000, and 2003 and of course, Ballon d’Or Awards in 1998.
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Johan Cruyff
Another Dutch professional football player and a coach marked his name in history. He was the person who won Ballon d’Or award three times in 1971,173, and 1974. He had this exceptional talent for ball control and strength. He not only won the world and ball as a player of the tournament in 1974 but also pushed the Netherlands to the FIFA World Cup finals. He performed exponentially, and finally, he was named after his feint ‘Cruyff turn’.
Ronaldo
Another Brazilian footballer played as a striker for the team. He was also commonly known as O Fenomeno (the phenomenon). He was the youngest player to win FIFA World Player of the Year. He bagged this award at the early age of 20 in 1996.
Ronaldinho
He was also of Brazilian footballer who played as an attacker midfielder. He was known as the man with the Magic Skills, Creativity, and gold striking. Ronaldinho twice won FIFA World Player of the year. He also got Ballon d’Or. He was famous for his no-look passes, feints, and overhead kicks.
Ferenc Puskas
A Hungarian footballer who was marked as the best player in history. As a forward player, he scored 84 goals in 85 international matches for Hungary. He was also known for his 808 breathtaking goals in 794 official games during his career. And Olympic champion in 1952, who led his nation to the finals of the 1954 World Cup. Alright, so the Real Madrid career of this Hungarian plane was also awe-inspiring, winning three European Cups and five league titles. In October 2009, FIFA also declared an award named explicitly after him called FIFA Puskas Award.
David Beckham
He was a British football player known for his bending free-kick crossing ability as a right-winger player in the team. Beckham is also hailed for his midfielder role in the group. Beckham won the Premier League title six times and the FA Cup toys. He also won the UEFA champion league in 1999. He played Four Seasons for Real Madrid, winning a La Liga championship for the final season in the club.
Author Bio: Charlotte Lin is a content creator at escaperoom.com. She’s a passionate young woman, mother to an amazing nine-year-old, and an avid reader. Over the years, writing has helped her explore and understand the world as well as her own self. She loves to travel, meet new people, and spend quality time with her daughter. You can find her on LinkedIn.
Do you agree with our list? Let us know if you feel we missed out on anyone! And for similar football and sports news and updates from around the world, stay tuned to ReadScoops.com…
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